DOCSLIB.ORG

550 to 559 How Maelgwn Became King After the Taking of the Crown

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
550 to 559 How Maelgwn Became King After the Taking of the Crown 550 to 559 How Maelgwn Became King After the taking of the crown and sceptre of London from the nation of the Cymry, and their expulsion from Lloegyr, they instituted an enquiry to see who of them should be supreme king. The place they appointed was on the Maelgwn sand at Aber Dyvi; and thereto came the men of Gwynedd, the men of Powys, the men of South Wales, of Reinwg of Morganwg, and of d Seisyllwg. And there Maeldav the elder, the son of Ynhwch Unachen, chief of Moel Esgidion in Meirionydd, placed a chair composed of waxed wings under Maelgwn; so when the tide flowed, no one was able to remain, excepting Maelgwn, because of his chair. And by that means Maelgwn became supreme king, with Aberfraw for his principal court; and the earl of Mathraval, and the earl of Dinevwr, and the earl of Caerllion subject to him; and his word paramount over all; and his law paramount, and he not bound to observe their law. And it was on account of Maeldav the elder, that Penardd acquired its privilege, and to be the eldest chansellor-ship. Caradoc of Llancarfan. The Life of St Gildas Crossing the Channel, he spent seven years most successfully in further studies in Gaul. At the end of the seventh year he returned to Great Britain with a great mass of books of all kinds. As the reputation of this highly distinguished stranger spread, scholars poured in to him from all sides. From him they heard the science of the Seven Disciplines most subtly explained, by which doctrine students change into teachers, under the teacher's honour. Gildas the sage The piety of this wisest of teachers was praised and extolled by all the people of Britain so much, because no one was or could be found to equal him in excellence of character. He fasted like St Anthony the Hermit. When he prayed, this most religious man wore a goatskin. Anything he was given, he immediately spent on the poor. He refrained from the sweetness of milk or honey, and hated meat. He preferred fresh-water vegetables. He used to eat barley bread mixed with ash, and drank spring water every day. The bath- house, a favourite resort of his people, he would not enter. His face looked thin and drawn, like someone suffering from a serious fever. He used to go and stand stock still in the river, at midnight, for the time it took him to say the Lord's Prayer three times. This done, he used to return to his prayer hut, and there kneel and pray to the Divine Majesty until daybreak. He slept moderately, lying on a rock and wearing only one garment. He ate without reaching fullness, satisfied only with sharing the heavenly reward, for heavenly rewards were all his desire. Gildas the preacher He taught people to discount, and warned them to despise, transitory things. He was the most renowned preacher throughout the three kingdoms of Britain. Kings feared him as one they ought to fear, and obeyed him, when they heard from him preaching that they could accept. Every Sunday he used to preach in a church by the seaside, which was in the Pepidiauc region. This was in the time of King Trifinus. Once a vast crowd of the common people came to hear him, and when he began his sermon, his voice held in the words of his preaching. The crowd were amazed at this strange retention. When St Gildas realised what was happening, he told everyone standing there to leave the building, so that he could find out whether one of them was preventing him from preaching the word of God. But even after they had all gone, he was unable to preach. Next, he asked whether anyone, man or woman, was hiding in the church. Nonnital, who was pregnant with the child who was to be St David, said: "I, Nonnital, am here, between the wall and the door. I didn't want to be in the crowd." On hearing this, Gildas told her to leave, and when she had gone he called the people back. They came when he called, to hear the preaching of the Gospel. When the sermon was over, he asked the angel of the Lord about this matter, namely why he had started to preach and couldn't finish. The angel gave him a revelation such as this: "A holy woman called Nonnita is staying in this church. She is about to have a son with immense grace. It is he who kept you from preaching; he held back your words with divine power. The boy who is to come will be born with greater grace. No one in your part of the country will be his equal. I shall leave this region to him. He will grow quickly and flourish from age to age. For a messenger, an angel of the Lord, declared to me his true destiny." Gildas in Ireland That is why Gildas, the most holy preacher, crossed to Ireland, where he converted countless people to the catholic faith. King Arthur St Gildas was a contemporary of King Arthur, king of all Great Britain. He loved him dearly and always longed to obey him. His twenty-three brothers, however, resisted this rebel king, refusing to submit to his lordship, and often putting him to flight and driving him out from glade and battlefield. Hueil, the elder brother, who was a constant fighter and very famous soldier, would not obey any king, even Arthur. He used to harry him, provoking the greatest anger between them. He used often to come from Scotland, burning and plundering, and returning with glory and victory. So the King of all Britain, hearing that the great-hearted youth had done such things, and was doing the like, pursued the most victorious youth, who was, according to the talk and hopes of the local inhabitants, going to be an excellent king. After a hostile pursuit they met in battle, and Arthur killed the young brigand on the island of Minau. After that slaughter Arthur returned, happy to have killed his bravest foe. Gildas, the historian of Britain, was still in Ireland at the time, directing studies and preaching in the city of Armagh. He heard of his brother's death at the hands of King Arthur. He grieved at the news, weeping and groaning, as loving brother for loving brother; he prayed for his brother's soul every day, and prayed also for Arthur, carrying out the apostolic command which says: Pray for your persecutors; do good to those who hate you. Gerald of Wales. In process of time, the Britons, recovering their long-lost population and knowledge of the use of arms, re-acquired their high and ancient character. Let the different areas be therefore marked, and the historical accounts will accord. With regard to Gildas, who inveighs so bitterly against his own nation, the Britons affirm that, highly irritated at the death of his brother, the prince of Albania, whom king Arthur had slain, he wrote these invectives, and upon the same occasion threw into the sea many excellent books, in which he had described the actions of Arthur, and the celebrated deeds of his countrymen; from which cause it arises, that no authentic account of so great a prince is any where to be found. SBG St Huail. HUAIL is called Cuillus in the Life of Gildas, by the Monk of Rhuis. He was son of Caw ab Geraint ab Erbin, known as Caw of Prydyn. He was obliged to fly with the rest of his family from the North, owing to the incursions and devastations of the Picts and Scots, and was well received by Maelgwn Gwynedd.he may have accompanied Gildas, his brother, to Brittany, he soon wearied of the life of an anchorite and returned to Britain. In the lolo MSS. 2 he is said to have been a saint of Llancarfan, Huail/was so imprudent as to court a lady of Arthur was enamoured.... The King's suspicions having been aroused, he armed himself secretly, and resolved on observing the movements of his rival. Having watched him going to the lady's house, some angry words passed between them, and they fought. a sharp combat, Huail got the better of Arthur, and wounded him in the thigh, whereupon the combat ceased, and they were recon-ciled, but with the proviso that Huail should never mention the matter, under penalty of losing his head. Arthur retired to his palace, which was then at Caerwys, in Flintshire, to be cured of his wound. He recovered, but ever after limped a little. A short time after his recovery, Arthur fell in love with a lady at Ruthin, in Denbighshire, and, in order the more frequently to enjoy her society, he disguised himself in female attire. One day he was dancing with this lady, thus disguised, when Huail happened to see him. He recognized him by the lameness, and said, " This dancing might do very well but for the thigh." Arthur overheard the remark. He withdrew from the dance, and in a fury ordered Huail to be be- headed on a stone called Maen Huail, still standing in S. Peter's Square.. Ruthin. There was some other cause for disagreement, according to the story of Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion. Huail had stabbed his nephew Gwydre, son of Gwenabwy his sister and of Llwydeu, " and hatred was between Huail and Arthur because of the wound." In the same story it is said that " he never yet made a request at the hand of any lord." The Rhuis author of the Life of Gildas says that " Cuillus, a very active man of war, after his father's death, succeeded him on the throne." The author of the other Life, supposed to be Caradog of Llancarfan, says : " Huail, the elder brother, an active warrior and most distinguished soldier, submitted to no king, not even to Arthur.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Orixes Da Materia De Bretaña
    Santiago Gutiérrez García Orixes da Materia de Bretaña A Historia Regum Britanniae e o pensamento europeo do século XII Centro Ramón Piñeiro para a Investigación en Humanidades Santiago de Compostela 2002 Edita Xunta de Galicia Consellería de Educación e Ordenación Universitaria Dirección Xeral de Política Lingüística Centro Ramón Piñeiro para a Investigación en Humanidades Conselleiro de Educación e Ordenación Universitaria Celso Currás Fernández Director Xeral de Política Lingüística Xesús P. González Moreiras Coordinador Científico Constantino García Direcctor Técnico de Literatura Anxo Tarrío Varela ISBN: 84-453-3319-4 D.L.: C-727-2002 Realización Grafinova S.A. Cuberta Beato de Liébano, Comentario da Apocalipse. Manuscrito F 117/2E, f.117v. Catedral de Burgo de Osma e San Xerome escribindo rodeado dos monxes. Primeira metade do século XVI. Museo Lázaro Galdeano. Madrid. ÍNDICE PRESENTACIÓN ........................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCCIÓN ...................................................................................... 7 CAPÍTULO I Da chegada normanda á monarquía anxevina ........................................ 17 A resistencia celta fronte a saxóns e normandos .................................... 22 A formación da Inglaterra anglonormanda ............................................ 27 A propaganda anxevina e o retorno de Artur .......................................... 34 Historia e historiografía no século XII inglés: celtas, saxóns e normandos ...............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • In England, Scotland, and Wales: Texts, Purpose, Context, 1138-1530
    Victoria Shirley The Galfridian Tradition(s) in England, Scotland, and Wales: Texts, Purpose, Context, 1138-1530 A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature Cardiff University 2017 i Abstract This thesis examines the responses to and rewritings of the Historia regum Britanniae in England, Scotland, and Wales between 1138 and 1530, and argues that the continued production of the text was directly related to the erasure of its author, Geoffrey of Monmouth. In contrast to earlier studies, which focus on single national or linguistic traditions, this thesis analyses different translations and adaptations of the Historia in a comparative methodology that demonstrates the connections, contrasts and continuities between the various national traditions. Chapter One assesses Geoffrey’s reputation and the critical reception of the Historia between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, arguing that the text came to be regarded as an authoritative account of British history at the same time as its author’s credibility was challenged. Chapter Two analyses how Geoffrey’s genealogical model of British history came to be rewritten as it was resituated within different narratives of English, Scottish, and Welsh history. Chapter Three demonstrates how the Historia’s description of the island Britain was adapted by later writers to construct geographical landscapes that emphasised the disunity of the island and subverted Geoffrey’s vision of insular unity. Chapter Four identifies how the letters between Britain and Rome in the Historia use argumentative rhetoric, myths of descent, and the discourse of freedom to establish the importance of political, national, or geographical independence. Chapter Five analyses how the relationships between the Arthur and his immediate kin group were used to challenge Geoffrey’s narrative of British history and emphasise problems of legitimacy, inheritance, and succession.
    [Show full text]
  • Welsh Contacts with the Papacy Before the Edwardian Conquest, C. 1283
    WELSH CONTACTS WITH THE PAPACY BEFORE THE EDWARDIAN CONQUEST, C. 1283 Bryn Jones A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2019 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/18284 This item is protected by original copyright Welsh contacts with the Papacy before the Edwardian Conquest, c. 1283 Bryn Jones This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of St Andrews June 2019 Candidate's declaration I, Bryn Jones, do hereby certify that this thesis, submitted for the degree of PhD, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for any degree. I was admitted as a research student at the University of St Andrews in September 2009. I received funding from an organisation or institution and have acknowledged the funder(s) in the full text of my thesis. Date Signature of candidate Supervisor's declaration I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Arthurian Tradition and the Origins of the Legend
    Arthuriana Arthuriana Early Arthurian Tradition and the Origins of the Legend Thomas Green THE LINDES PRESS As with everything, so with this: For Frances and Evie. First published 2009 The Lindes Press Louth, Lincolnshire www.arthuriana.co.uk © Thomas Green, 2009 The right of Thomas Green to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing of the Author. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 4452 2110 6 Contents Preface vii 1 The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur 1 2 A Bibliographic Guide to the Welsh Arthurian Literature 47 3 A Gazetteer of Arthurian Onomastic and Topographic Folklore 89 4 Lincolnshire and the Arthurian Legend 117 5 Arthur and Jack the Giant-Killer 141 a. Jack & Arthur: An Introduction to Jack the Giant-Killer 143 b. The History of Jack and the Giants (1787) 148 c. The 1711 Text of The History of Jack and the Giants 166 d. Jack the Giant Killer: a c. 1820 Penny Book 177 e. Some Arthurian Giant-Killings 183 6 Miscellaneous Arthuriana 191 a. An Arthurian FAQ: Some Frequently Asked Questions 193 b. The Monstrous Regiment of Arthurs: A Critical Guide 199 c. An Arthurian Reference in Marwnad Gwên? The Manuscript 217 Evidence Examined d.
    [Show full text]
  • Geoffrey of Monmouth's Welsh Sources
    Chapter 1 Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Welsh Sources Ben Guy Introduction: Britons, Bretons, and the Unworthy Welsh It has long been recognized that Geoffrey of Monmouth drew on sources origi- nating from the Brittonic-speaking world. This fact is frequently mentioned in scholarly literature, though it is rarely accompanied by detailed supporting evidence. It was, after all, with the Britons, both contemporary and ancient, that Geoffrey was primarily concerned, and it was to the Britons that he looked for source material concerning the history of Britannia.1 One might legitimately ask whether it is possible, or even necessary, to dis- tinguish between sources that originated from different Brittonic-speaking re- gions. It would appear that the three surviving Brittonic languages had not yet become mutually unintelligible by the 12th century. Gerald of Wales comment- ed on this matter in the first recension of his Description of Wales, completed around 1194, some 60 years after the propagation of the De gestis Britonum: Indeed, Cornwall and Brittany use almost the same language, which is, nevertheless, still intelligible to the Welsh in many and almost in all cases, on account of their original relationship. Inasmuch as it is less re- fined and rougher, it is closer to the ancient British language, or so I think myself.2 1 To avoid confusion, I shall continue to employ the adjective “Brittonic” rather than “British” when referring to the medieval and ancient Britons. I avoid the term “Celtic”, which is mean- ingless in this context. 2 Gerald of Wales, The Description of Wales i.6, ed.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction 1
    NOTES Introduction 1 . Siân Echard, Arthurian Narrative in the Latin Tradition , Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature 36 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998 ), p. 14; Helen Cooper, The English Romance in Time: Transforming Motifs from Geoffrey of Monmouth to the Death of Shakespeare (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 ), pp. 26–27; Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, “The Dark Dragon of the Normans: A Creation of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Stephen of Rouen, and Merlin Silvester,” Quondam et Futurus: A Journal of Arthurian Interpretations 2.2 ( 1992 ): 2 [1–19]. 2 . Julia Briggs discusses the Vortiger and Uther Pendragon plays per- formed by Philip Henslowe’s company as well as William Rowley’s The Birth of Merlin and Thomas Middleton’s Hengist , “New Times and Old Stories: Middleton’s Hengist ,” Literary Appropriations of the Anglo-Saxons from the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century , ed. Donald Scragg and Carole Weinberg, Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England 29 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000 ), pp. 108–9 [107–21]. 3 . For evidence supporting a late 1138 date for Geoffrey’s HRB , see Wright, introduction to HRB Bern , p. xvi [ix-lix] and John Gillingham, “The Context and Purposes of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain ,” Anglo-Norman Studies 13 (1991 ): 100 n5 [99–118]. 4 . Clarke, introduction to VM , p. vii [vii-50]; Echard, Arthurian Narrative , p. 218. 5 . Lee Patterson, Negotiating the Past: The Historical Understanding of Medieval Literature (Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 ), pp. 160, 201, 170, and 187; Virgil, Aeneid in Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid I-VI , trans.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF File Created from a TIFF Image by Tiff2pdf
    Copyrightof FullText restswith the original copyright ownerand, except as pennitt~ under th~ Copyright Act \96S, copyingthiscopynght material is prohibited without thepermissionof the 0W?er or itsexclusive licensee oragent orby~y of a h~ence from Copyright Agency Limited. ~or information about such licences contact Copynght Agency Limited on (02) 93947600 (ph) or (02) 9394760\ (fax) The Early History ofGlastonbury Abbey: A Hypothesis Regarding the 'British Charter" Martin Grimmer The so-called 'British charter' of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, contained in William of Malmesbury's De antiquitate Glastonte ecclesieof c.I 129,records a grant made in AD 601 by an unnamed king of British Dumnonia of land at '/neswitrin'. As William regarded this to be the British Celtic name for Glastonbury, the charter has been used to proclaim a pre-Saxon foundation for the Abbey. When the characteristics of the charter are considered, in particular the use of a scribal attestation, itappears however that it is West Saxon in form and should be dated to the later seventh century when Somerset was within West Saxon control. The charter cannot therefore substantiate the Abbey's existence before thistime, though itdoes imply somelevel of cooperation between theWest Saxon Church and thekingdom of Dumnonia. In ·the literature on early Anglo-Saxon Christianity it is currently popular to examine possible points of continuity with the Romano-British past.I For the kingdom of Wessex, the focus of this paper, it is often asserted that the West Saxon church, particularly in the west of the realm, took over a pre-existing British ecclesiastical structure. In this sense, British monasteries and other ecclesiastical sites are thought to have provided a foundation for West Saxon establishments, with the British Celtic communities in some fashion meta­ morphosing into West Saxon Roman houses.
    [Show full text]
  • King Arthur in Legend and History
    KING ARTHUR IN LEGEND AND HISTORY Edited by RICHARD WHITE With a Foreword by ALLAN MASSIE J. M. Dent London CONTENTS Note on the Editor ix Chronology of Key Arthurian Texts Foreword by Allan Massie xiii Introduction xv Note on the Text xxvi Maps xxvii KING ARTHUR IN LEGEND AND HISTORY PART i: EARLY WORKS 3 GILDAS, The Ruin of Britain 3 NENNIUS, History of the Britons 4 The Annals of Wales 6 The Mabinogion: 'Culhwch and Olwen' 7 The Life of St Goeznovius 12 LIFRIC OF LLANCARFAN, The Life of St Cadoc 13 The Life of St Carannog 16 The Life of St Iltud 18 The Life of St Padarn 18 CARADOC OF LLANCARFAN, The Life of St Gildas 19 WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY, The Deeds of the English Kings 22 PART Z: GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH AND THE 'BRUT' CHRONICLE TRADITION 25 GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH, History of the Kings of Britain 25 WILLIAM OF NEWBURGH, History of English Affairs 40 WACE, Brut 45 LAWMAN (LAYAMON), Brut 60 ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER, Metrical Chronicle 78 ROBERT MANNYNG OF BRUNNE, Chronicle 82 The Alliterative Morte Arthure 96 The Parlement of the Thre Ages 125 VI CONTENTS JEHAN DE WAURIN, Chronicles and Ancient Histories of Great Britain 127 SCOTTISH CHRONICLES: JOHN DE FORDUN, Chronicle of the Scottish People 129 ANDREW OF WYNTOUN, Chronicle 131 WILLIAM STEWART, The Buik of the Chronicles of Scotland 134 PART 3: ARTHUR IN EARLY FRENCH ROMANCE I4I CHRETIEN DE TROYES: Erec and Enide 141 Cliges 146 Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart 156 Yvain, or the Knight of the Lion 159 Perceval, or the Story of the Grail 162 The First Perceval Continuation 171 The Second Perceval Continuation 177 GERBERT DE MONTREUIL, Perceval Continuation .
    [Show full text]
  • SHAKESPEARE, the WELSH, and the EARLY MODERN ENGLISH THEATER, 1590-1615 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfi
    STAGING CAMBRIA: SHAKESPEARE, THE WELSH, AND THE EARLY MODERN ENGLISH THEATER, 1590-1615 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Marisa R. Cull, M.A. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Approved by: Professor Richard Dutton, Advisor ______________________________ Professor Christopher Highley Advisor English Graduate Program Professor Luke Wilson ABSTRACT This dissertation focuses on theatrical representation of Wales and the Welsh at a particularly pressured moment in the development of the English nation. In these twenty- five years, England strengthened its armed forces to fight wars both foreign and domestic, expanded its empire and moved toward a “British” state, and continued adapting to the changes of the Reformation. This dissertation argues that the frequent and varied representation of Wales and the Welsh on the late Tudor and early Stuart stage reveals the extent to which the English understood their national history and identity in relation to their western neighbors. Although Wales has been overshadowed by Ireland and Scotland in studies of early modern English nationalism, its impact on the formation of English national identity should not be underestimated. As the descendants of the heroic ancient Britons (including King Arthur), the Welsh had an enviable narrative of military prowess that the English often co-opted for themselves; moreover, the English annexation of Wales—culminating in the 1536 Act of Union—provided a hopeful precedent for how England might incorporate its most resistant Celtic neighbor, Ireland, and later, for how England might expand into a British empire.
    [Show full text]
  • Was King Arthur a Living Hero Or a Popular Legend?
    Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Honors Senior Theses/Projects Student Scholarship 6-1-2015 Legendary: Was King Arthur a Living Hero or a Popular Legend? Emily Walley Western Oregon University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/honors_theses Part of the Medieval History Commons Recommended Citation Walley, Emily, "Legendary: Was King Arthur a Living Hero or a Popular Legend?" (2015). Honors Senior Theses/Projects. 84. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/honors_theses/84 This Undergraduate Honors Thesis/Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Senior Theses/Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. 1 Legendary: Was King Arthur a Living Hero or a Popular Legend? By Emily J. Walley An Honors Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Western Oregon University Honors Program Dr. Elizabeth Swedo, Thesis Advisor Dr. Gavin Keulks, Honors Program Director Western Oregon University June 2015 2 Table of Contents Abstract 4 Introduction 5 The Legend 6 Literature Review 7 Textual Sources Concerning Arthur 23 Camlann: the Last Battle 37 The Debate of the Gaulish Campaign 47 Arthur’s Growing Fame 49 12 Battles: the Arthurian Campaign 56 Badon: the Introduction of Arthur 59 Tintagel: the Birth of a Legend 61 Solving the Matter of Britain 63 Conclusion 72 Bibliography 74 3 Abstract Despite being a well-known figure in Western culture, the historical evidence for King Arthur is very small, and scholars have not even been able to identify a specific person as the historical Arthur.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of the Arthurian Legend
    origins of the arthurian legends 1 The Origins of the Arthurian Legend geoffrey ashe After prolonged debate, the search for the ‘historical Arthur’ remains inconclusive, because of the nature of the evidence which historians take into account. Possibilities arise, however, from evidence of another kind. Literary inquiry can lead towards historical insight and identify an Arthur- figure who has been noticed at various times, but not adequately considered. (GA) o the question ‘Did Arthur exist?’ a straight yes-or-no answer cannot be T given. More is involved here than historical doubt. With, say, Robin Hood, the straight answer is likewise excluded, but solely by insufficiency of data. A new find might some day make it possible. With Arthur the difficulty cuts deeper. For any ordinary inquirer, the answer ‘yes’ implies the reality of the Arthur of romance, the idealized medieval monarch, at the centre of a sort of montage that includes Guinevere and Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. Since Arthur in that sense is a literary creation and didn’t exist, the answer ‘yes’ is wrong. But the answer ‘no’ is also wrong. It implies that Arthur is fictitious as Don Quixote is fictitious, that he has no factual basis at all. The romancers themselves would never have accepted that, and it cannot be maintained as a definite statement. Actually, of course, the literary Arthur is a shape-shifter who has taken different forms over the centuries. But all versions presumably derive from a source or prototype earlier than any. There have been numerous attempts to work back to this point, and, more specifically, to pin down a ‘historical Arthur’ as the starting-point, so that the question of existence can be affirmatively answered … on the understanding that this is the Arthur who is meant.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Le Helloco D
    Bangor University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Sense of place and the writing of early British history in medieval and early modern England Le Helloco, Daisy Award date: 2019 Awarding institution: Bangor University Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 28. Sep. 2021 SENSE OF PLACE AND THE WRITING OF EARLY BRITISH HISTORY IN MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN ENGLAND Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Bangor University by Daisy Le Helloco School of English Bangor University June 2018 Sense of Place and the Writing of Early British History in Medieval and Early Modern England Summary Sense of place, the human connection to and understanding of place, has been theorized and understood as integral to the perception of and recording of the past. This dissertation addresses the use of sense of place in English and Anglo-Latin historical texts from the twelfth to the seventeenth century, specifically where they deal with the history of the island before the Anglo-Saxon settlements of the fifth century.
    [Show full text]